Small Texas school district lets teachers, staff pack pistols

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Posted on Fri, Aug. 15, 2008
Small Texas school district lets teachers, ...

Small Texas school district lets teachers, staff pack pistols

By MARK AGEErmagee@star-telegram.com
When classes start Aug. 25 in the tiny Harrold school district, there will be one distinct difference from years prior: Some of the teachers may have guns.

To deter and protect against school shootings, trustees have altered district policy to allow employees to carry concealed weapons if they have a state permit and permission from the administration. The 110-student district lies 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth on the eastern end of Wilbarger County, near the Oklahoma border.

More than a dozen state legislatures have considered making it legal to carry guns on college campuses, but experts and officials contacted by the Star-Telegram say the move is unheard of in elementary or secondary schools.

Superintendent David Thweatt said a main concern was that the small community is a 30-minute drive from the sheriff’s office, leaving students and teachers without protection.

'To be prepared’

The district’s lone campus sits 500 feet from heavily trafficked U.S. 287, which could make it a target, Thweatt said.

Other security measures are in place, including one-way access to enter the school, state-of-the-art surveillance cameras and electric locks on doors. But after the Virginia Tech massacre and the Amish school shooting in Pennsylvania, Thweatt felt he had to take further action, he said.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started," Thweatt said. "Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying 'sic ’em’ to a dog."

Texas law outlaws firearms on school campuses "unless pursuant to the written regulations or written authorization of the institution."

Thweatt did not say how many of the 50 or so teachers and staff members will be armed this fall because he doesn’t want students or potential attackers to know. Wilbarger County Sheriff Larry Lee was out of the office Thursday and did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Barbara Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Association of School Boards, said her organization is not aware of another district doing something similar. Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based school security expert who advises districts nationwide, including in Texas, said Harrold is the first district he knows of to take such a step.

Trump said he would have advised against allowing teachers to arm themselves, if only because of liability concerns. In the long run, it could have been cheaper and safer to hire security or off-duty police, he said. Texas school districts also have the option of forming their own police force, he noted.

"What are the rules for use of force?" Trump said. "Or how about weapons-retention training? Because they could go in to break up a fight in the cafeteria and lose their gun."

Thweatt said the district did not rush into the decision. Officials researched the policy and weighed other options for about a year before trustees voted on the policy in October.

"The naysayers think [a shooting] won’t happen here," he said. "If something were to happen here, I’d much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them."

The gun policy Teachers and staffers in the Harrold school district can carry firearms beginning this fall if they:

Have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun.

Are authorized to carry by the district.

Receive training in crisis management and hostile situations.

Use ammunition that is designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls.

The 'break up the fight in the cafeteria" scenario is of concern IF the armed teacher were to be so foolish as to get involved. School fights are rarely life-threatening, and could be handled by other teachers who were not carrying. Also, there's gun retention and gun retention: I broke up lots of fights when I taught, and not a one of them would have been a problem with a Smart Carry.

Bravo for the Superintendent! My guess is that very few of the teachers will want to carry... but the bad guys won't know that. Though every one of our science teachers would have, back when I taught.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

That depends greatly on where you are going to school. When I was in H.S. we had several riots where it required LEO to be called out in force. shotguns and other small arms were found as well as a plethora of knives and sticks of varying styles. We also had several shootings, a drive by on our football team, and some stabbings and number of 5, 6, 7 on 1 jumpings. Yours truly was jumped by 8 once while walking home.

Ah, the memories...

I think it is great, as you stated, for the Superintendent to make this decision. I hope more will follow suit.

No big shock but I just noticed that the Star-Telegram is deleting comments at will and wouldn't post mine. Mine was a list of the requirements for a Texas CHL. Guess the left wing libs on the editorial staff cannot think of a way to counter FACTS. Low life scum.

This and their open borders, illegal alien lovin position is why I canceled my subscription to their "news" paper.

Just remember that shot placement is much more important with what you carry than how big a bang you get with each trigger pull.www.ddchl.com
Texas CHL Instructor
Texas Hunter Education Instructor
NRA Instructor

Great idea! Here's hoping more will follow suit. FWIW, I approve of the extra training in crisis management and hostile situations. The better trained the carrying teachers, the safer EVERYone will be.

"I pledge allegiance to the war banner of the united states of Totalitaria. And to the Republic, which no longer stands, several bankers, who are now god, indivisible, with Bernanke bucks and credit for all."

The antis hate stuff like this because it makes them realize that they are losing ground to common sense. They will use their "liability" mantra around the clock to try to shut it down. I don't guess that they ever considered that someone laying in a pool of blood because they couldn't fight back was a liability also.

I think it's a Great Ideal!!! But as usual the City/ Government push the responsibility on an Individual...Instead of (hiring an armed security guard, metal detectors, and cameras)so instead of the Additional taxes or costs to the city...The Teacher now have the right to carry in the classroom...

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started," Thweatt said. "Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying 'sic ’em’ to a dog."

Thweatt for President,

Edit to add: It's getting harder and harder to not move to Texas. My little one starts Kindergarten that same day.

"fundamental principle of American law that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any individual citizen." [Warren v. District of Columbia,(D.C. Ct. of Ap., 1981)]
If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand

To deter and protect against school shootings, trustees have altered district policy to allow employees to carry concealed weapons if they have a state permit

It's really that simple. Kudos to Texas!!

Let's hope each and every one of the carriers is lily white and clean, that it proves to be an exceptional example. If so, this could be one more nail in the coffin of the insanity that precludes such rational and reasonable carry by upstanding citizens.